How Much Is a Gram of Wax?

The cost of wax can depend on quality, extraction method, location, and brand.Generally prices range from $20 up to as much as $100 for super high-end wax in newly legalized locations such as New York City.

Quality of Wax:

Low-end concentrates usually have a lower potency and terpene content. Made with trim instead of solid fresh buds. This type of wax should run you around 10-20 dollars for a gram, it's not the greatest, it's not the cleanest, but it will surely get you to where you need to go.

Mid-Range wax is decent quality, this is the most average and most common type of wax you can find at any dispensary. Offering potent, flavorful concentrates at a reasonable price of 30-60 dollars per gram.

Top-Self, Premium, or High-End concentrates can be made with solvents or solventless like Rosin. Since this level of wax provides better potency and higher terpene concentrations it will be the most costly of the three running at around 70-100 dollars per gram.

Extraction Method:

There are a few different ways to extract cannabis concentrates, some are simple, some are just time consuming and some you need some premium grade lab equipment to complete the process. For example when extracting concentrates with butane or propane, you'd want to keep the process in a controlled environment in case of an accident. This will surely add to the cost.

For other concentrates like Rosin, which is solventless, costs more because the extraction process is free of solvents but it's also labor intensive, producing only a little bit of rosin at a time. This drives up the cost because you need a substantial amount of plant materials to make a substantial amount of rosin!

To Read More on Extraction Methods Click Here!

Location - Where You Are Purchasing Wax:

The location, meaning where you live or where you are buying, will also change the cost of your concentrates. For the sake of a comparison we can take a look at New York and Vegas. The cost of wax is a lot more expensive in New York than Vegas because of state regulation and taxes. Also, New York legalized cannabis within the past 3 years.

Legalization timing/how long cannabis has been legal in your specific state directly affects the pricing. As time goes on more stores open up and there's more competition driving down the cost of inventory since dispensaries need to be priced more competitively.

As more dispensaries open in your area, mass distributors of oil will follow. An increase in wax production will also drive down the cost of goods over time!

Different Dab/Wax Brands:

Different extract brands can vary in price, this is because certain brands will use different quality plant materials for their extraction process. The extraction method also changes the cost. Then you would have to factor in lab testing, marketing, licensing, and compliance costs depending on each state.

Dispensaries carry a lot of different brand names, giving you a variety of different quality, potency, and types of extracts to choose from. Your local dispensary would obviously be the most expensive option when it comes to purchasing wax, because of the reasons mentioned above but it is the safest and most controlled.

The gray market and the black market still exist within the cannabis industry. The gray market suppliers are able to grow and make their own concentrates legally. However, they find their own ways around regulation, taxes and even the law in certain states. This doesn't necessarily mean that the product quality isn't good, but you will need to watch out for certain contaminates, pesticides, and heavy metals. The prices might be cheaper, but you do run the risk of getting some bad wax that can make you sick in the long run.

Same goes for the local pot dealer, selling wax that he made at home. This would be considered the “black market”, again this isn't to say that this stuff is down right bad for you. It is definitely not the safest depending on the extraction method used especially when solvents are involved. The potency might also be super inconsistent and dab dosing might become harder especially for beginners.

Unevaporated solvents can pose a real risk to your safety and health! Be mindful of where you purchase your wax from!

Different Types of Wax Concentrate:

Different types of wax can greatly vary in price, mainly for the reasons listed above. The extraction process, potency, and terpene content vastly change from extract to extract.

• Shatter - Shatter is usually priced pretty low because its extraction process offers a higher yield and its pretty shelf stable. It isn't generally very abundant in terpenes so therefore it's priced around $20-$40 dollars.
• Crumble - Crumble has a dry texture that might be complicated to dab with depending on how dry it is. It might be harder to correctly dose your dabs because of this extracts texture, some people use crumble as an additive to their flower to pack an extra punch. This type of wax is usually mass produced leaving it priced at $20-$40 dollars as well.
• Wax/Budder - Wax Budder is the most common type of concentrate. It offers a solid potency and terpene content, with a whipped sort of texture that's easy to dab and store even for newbies. Wax usually comes at a midrange price around $25-50 dollars per gram.
• Live Resin - Live Resin is made with frozen plant materials which adds an extra step to its extraction process. The flash frozen plant preserves its terpenes and trichomes, which leads to a super potent and terpene rich extract. Live Resin is typically priced at $40-$70 per gram.
• Sauce and Diamonds - Sauce and Diamonds is favored by many dabbers for its insane terpene content, leading to a more impactful high with added effects and benefits. To create “Diamonds”, there is an extra step involved after the extraction process of sauce, adding to its price tag. Leaving sauce and diamonds priced around $50-$80 dollars a gram.
• Rosin/Live Rosin - Rosin is the most expensive of the bunch, just because it is considered to be the safest and the healthiest extraction method there is. Rosin is solventless, made with either cured or frozen plants. However, a rosin press produces a lower yield than solvent extraction therefore making it involves a TON of plant material. Since making rosin is so labor intensive and the need for additional plant materials, Rosin is priced at $60-$100 dollars per gram. Live Rosin is more expensive because of its terpene content and the cost of flash freezing the plant prior to extraction!